YALSA President's Page

This space is for YALSA's Presidents to share news and information with the membership and library community. Check here for regular president's reports and other information. Additional information can be found on YALSA's web site. YALSA's President, Immediate Past President and President-Elect are all available for speaking at state and regional library conferences. For details contact the YALSA Office at 1.800.545.2433 x4391.

Linda W Braun, President, 2009-2010

Bio

http://leonline.com/images/smallbwiphone_hands.jpg
In my non-YALSA work I am an Educational Technology Consultant and that means I work with schools, libraries, and other educational institutions to help them figure out the best way to integrate technology into teaching, learning, programs, and services. I've been working in this area since 1996 and before that I was a children's librarian, a teen librarian, a library administrator, and a consultant for a state agency in Massachusetts. I also teach for Simmons College in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science.

I've been a member of YALSA for about 13 years and in that time have participated in a number of committees, served a three-year term on the Board of Directors, and acted as YALSA Blog Manager for three years.

Presidential Theme

The theme for 2009 is Risky Business. I developed this theme with the support of the Presidential Advisory Task Force. (Thanks to Frances Jacobson Harris, Lisa Lindsay, Jack Martin, Becky Mazur, Jami Mayo, and Connie Urquhart for their hep in getting ready for this year.)

YALSA knows librarians take risks every day of the year when they purchase materials that might be controversial, when they have conversations with teens which might lead to topics that are sometimes difficult to discuss, when they advocate for the programs and services teens need. In order to support librarian risk-taking, during the year YALSA will collect stories about risk from librarians, teens, and those who work with teens. These will be posted on the YALSA blog in audio, video, and text format and help to provide librarians with ideas on how to be successful in their own library risk-taking. We’ll also use some of the risky stories in a book titled Risky Business (co-authored by myself, Jack Martin, and Connie Urquhart) that will be published by ALA Editions in 2010. If you have a story of taking risks in library services to teens or in your career you can submit it to YALSA by sending an email to [1]. No story is too big or too small.

Not only will YALSA be looking at ways to support librarian risk-taking, we will also take a look at the Division’s own risk-taking. This will include looking at ways in which YALSA can take risks in order to move forward and provide members with the services they need and require.